The first solar electric car finally goes into production: after six long years of research and technological development, the revolutionary Light year 0 has officially landed on the production lines of the Valmet Automotive plant in Finland.
The first cars are already preparing for their “first time in the light of day”: thus the Lightyear 0 leaves the experimental nature to reach, little by little, the roads of the whole world. The production of the first solar-powered car won’t be fast, at least in this first phase, but it promises to revolutionize the entire concept of sustainable mobility in a short time.
The solar car officially goes into production
Lightyear 0 is the first electric car powered by solar energy: presented in world premiere – after years of waiting – just a few months ago, it is already ready to write the history of mobility. The revolutionary car, developed by a Dutch high-tech company specializing in solar panels, in fact inserts a completely new technology into the complex discourse on the transition to sustainable mobility.
Between hybrid and electric solutions, hydrogen cars, biofuels and original do-it-yourself remedies, the search for a form of clean energy capable of powering means of transport had not yet considered, with theexception of Elon Musk’s Teslathe hypothesis of exploit solar energy.
With its 5 meters of solar panelsLightyear 0 can travel more than 700 km on a single charge, obtaining between 6,000 and 11,000 km of completely free annual range deriving solely from the energy produced thanks to sunlight. To get an idea, assuming an average journey of 30-35 kilometers a day, Lightyear 0 – according to the Dutch manufacturer’s estimates – will need to be recharged from the electrical socket at most six times a year.
The production of the solar car is possible thanks to the partnership of Valmet Automotivecompany specialized in the production of electric cars, which has made the production lines of its plant available Uusikaupunkiin Finland.
Olaf BongwaldCEO of Valmet Automotive, he embraced Lightyear’s project, emphasizing the importance of “creating new and more sustainable solutions for mobility”: participating in the production of the first solar car means proposing a truly innovative solution for powering vehicles, considerably expanding the possibilities for research and design of the mobility of the future.
Lightyear 0: the solar revolution
The Finnish plant in Valmet will initially be able to produce at full capacity one car a weekto grow gradually in the first months of 2023. Lightyear 0 currently remains a car for the few – not only because few examples will be produced and very slowly. The revolutionary solar-powered car, according to what was stated by the Dutch company during the official presentation, will be produced in only 946 specimens and the cost will be around 250 thousand euros.
On the other hand, until now, no one has ever ventured into the design and construction of a solar car, which moreover looks like the most aerodynamic car ever built (with an extraordinary coefficient of 0.175), covered with small curved solar panels.
“By 2040 there will be 2 billion cars on the planet,” recalled the CEO and founder of Lightyear Lex Hoefslot“and that day even one combustion engine in circulation will be too many. As each and every Lightyear rolls off the production lines, we are less reliant on fossil fuels. For each of them we will have one less car connected to the electricity grid”. The real positive impact on the environmentaccording to the manufacturer Lightyear, it starts right from the solar revolution – which has just begun.
